Atherosclerosis is a disease affecting arterial blood vessels. Over time, arterial walls may respond to the deposition of lipoproteins by undergoing an inflammatory response and forming plaques, or atheromas. Atheromas can eventually lead to the occlusion of blood vessels by either swelling to a sufficient size to occlude a blood vessel or by rupturing and causing a downstream occlusion. Blood vessel occlusion may lead to morbidity and death of tissues left undernourished and/or oxygen starved. Consequently, many different possible acute health problems may arise, depending on the location of the occlusion, including some life-threatening conditions, such as ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and other cardiovascular diseases. Because of the many potential health risks involved with atheromas, health care professionals have invested large amounts of time and money into investigating atheromas with the eventual goal of either preventing the occurrence of atheromas or diagnosing already-formed atheromas prior to the potential occlusion of blood vessels. Unfortunately, the risk of rupture of an atheroma is often not known. Additionally, atheromas can remain asymptomatic for many years and may remain asymptomatic until a blood vessel has already become occluded.